Oprah was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi on February 29, 1954. Her parents were unwed. Her early years were spent with her grandmother and her mother. Later she would live with her father and stepmother. The strict rules of her father helped her to get her young life on track.

Early on, Oprah wanted to be somebody. At 19 she became one of the youngest anchorwomen ever in Nashville. She also won a number of beauty pageants.

Oprah discovered that she enjoyed the talk show format. In Chicago she hosted "The Talk Of The Town" and developed her style for the Oprah Winfrey Show.

Oprah is very candid about her life and shares it with her audience. She has shared her "battle of the bulge" and her love life. Her honesty has paid off; her show is one of the most popular and influential TV shows in the nation. With her own production company, Oprah has produced a number of other projects.